January 27, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; San Jose Sharks forward Michael Misa (77) takes a break during the third period of the game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Image Michael Misa is making the most of his opportunity with the San Jose Sharks.
The 19-year-old rookie scored the overtime winner in the Sharks’ 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, giving him points in all three games since the Olympic break.
“He earned it. He earned it the way he played,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “That’s something we talked about in training camps back in the day. You earn the ice. You earn your spot on this team. He’s definitely earned the ice he’s getting.”
Misa took a drop pass from William Eklund, separated two Jets defenders and then beat Connor Hellebuyck for his fourth goal of the season.
Will Smith scored with 1:47 left in the third and Alex Nedeljkovic made 27 saves for the Sharks, who won back-to-back games with a 0-4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
“It was my first shift in OT and I tried to make the most of it,” Misa said of his first career game-winning goal. “(Eklund) made a nice drop pass to me, and I figured I should just go there and see what happens. It ended up going right back on my stick.”
San Jose, trying to earn a Western Conference wild card spot, is keeping up with the pace of Maclean Cellbrini’s offense. The 19-year-old center had 83 points, good for fifth in the NHL heading into the weekend.
Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov is 18-16-2 with a 3.50 goals-against average and 0.888 save percentage in 37 games this season. Askarov made one career appearance against the Canadiens in his NHL debut on January 12, 2023, making 31 saves in a 4–3 loss to the Nashville Predators.
Tuesday marks the first of two meetings between the Canadiens and Sharks this season.
The Canadiens won both meetings last season by identical 4-3 decisions, but the Montreal game went to overtime.
The Canadiens begin a three-game road trip to California on Tuesday, looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since a three-game winning streak in late January.
Cole Caufield scored twice and captain Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist as Montreal beat the visiting Washington Capitals 6-2 on Saturday.
“I thought the puck found me early, so it’s pretty cool to get those two early,” said Caufield, who has a team-leading 35 goals in 59 games. “But taking chances is the most important thing.”
Mike Matheson, Kirby Dach and Jake Evans also scored for the Canadiens, who have won seven straight games (5-0-2).
“What I liked most about this game was how we managed the third period,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “We were ahead, they scored a goal, and it was only a two-goal lead. We managed it better. We kept going in the third period.”
Suzuki registered his 25th career three-point game, his best for Montreal since arriving in October 2019. He scored a team-high 68 points in 59 games this season.
Jakub Dobes, who made 27 saves against the Capitals, never faced the Sharks. Montreal’s other net option, Samuel Montembo, is 3-1-0 with a 2.76 ERA and .908 save percentage in four games with San Jose.
–Field level media
